Burn for You

by Marquita Valentine

  “Shit,” I breathe, ignoring the pain and focusing on my daughter. “Baby girl, what’s wrong?”

  Mia’s face is covered in tears, her chubby little arms reaching for me even as I pick her up. She doesn’t stop crying. I rub her back, trying to soothe her.

  I turn, bumping into Landry. Her eyes are wet too. Jesus, I’m surrounded by crying females.

  “What can I do to help?” Landry sniffs.

  Mia lets out an ear-piercing scream, and I grimace. “Ear plugs would be great.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Beau

  We start the descent to land at the Nice Côte d'Azur Airport just as the sun is starting to set. My jaw cracks open on a yawn as I rise to my feet, stretching as I do. We’ve been in flight for nearly twenty-one hours, stopping once for refueling. The second half of the trip did not go as smoothly as the first. Mia screamed nearly the entire time, refusing to eat or drink anything. Basically, it turned into the flight from hell.

  Through it all, Landry stayed patient, even calming me down at one point when I’d had enough and had to leave the main cabin. It wasn’t that I wanted to hurt Mia or even felt like hurting her. I was helpless, and I’ve been helpless for so long that I can’t take it anymore.

  I grip the top of my daughter’s car seat as the plane bounces twice on the runway and then slows down. After it comes to a complete stop, I check on Mia, and then unbuckle my seat belt.

  I stride to Landry and gently shake her awake. “Landry. We’re here.” Her sleepy hazel eyes blink up at me. “Sorry, baby, but you have to wake up.”

  “Hmmm,” she says in an adorable, sleep-filled voice.

  “We’re here,” I repeat.

  “I’ll get Mia.” She unbuckles her belt before I can stop her and tries to stand on wobbly legs. I wrap one arm around her, steadying her while throwing myself a little off balance. “You get yourself, and I’ll get my daughter.”

  “Okay.”

  As we exit the plane, a few guys in dark suits load our luggage into the trunk of a private car. By the time all is said and done, Mia is asleep in her car seat while Landry sits on the opposite side, one hand on my daughter and the other in her lap.

  She’s silent, possibly dozing, and it’s all I can do not to talk to her, not to ask her what she’s thinking, because I’m burning up inside to know everything about her. She fascinates me, in a way no female ever has before.

  Landry is so... perfectly normal. She’s not broken or damaged, or even a little cracked. Not like me. This beautiful woman, who’s holding my daughter’s hand, is genuinely lovely.

  I’m fucking enchanted by her, by her thoughts, and what she wants out of life. And I’ve sworn not to touch her like I want to, just so she’ll trust me. Just so she won’t think the worst about me.

  Damn Paisley Sawyer’s lying ass.

  I hear a little noise and lean forward, checking on my daughter. Landry does the same, our gazes crashing together. She smiles at me, a little chagrined and a whole lot gorgeous.

  “She’s still sleeping, bless her little exhausted heart,” Landry whispers. “Her daddy doesn’t look so alert either. When we get to the hotel, I’ll take care of her so you can get some sleep, too.”

  Taking in the lavender shadows under her pretty eyes, I raise my brows, “You’re not exactly operating on all twelve cylinders either.”

  “But I don’t have to drive on a racetrack this afternoon. You did the amazing get-the-baby-to-sleep trick, now it’s my turn to make sure she stays sleeping.” She laughs a little, and I notice that neither of us has settled back in our seats. “My momma gave me really good advice when it comes to babies, by the way.”

  “What’s that?” I ask, keeping my voice low so I don’t wake Mia. Right now, I’d shoot anyone who would dare wake my baby girl up.

  “She said to sleep when the baby sleeps.”

  I twist my lips. “That would have been nice to know at the beginning of our trip.”

  Her cute nose wrinkles. “I didn’t remember until just now.” Suddenly, she pats my hand. “Don’t worry, Beau. I’m here to support you while you do the racing thing. You concentrate on winning.”

  My heart flips in my chest. I know I’m paying her to be here. I know that the two of us, because of Paisley’s interference, will never happen now. I know all that, like I know the track at Daytona, but all that knowledge doesn’t prevent me from imagining that Landry’s here in a completely different capacity.

  That she’s here for me, and only me.

  Landry leans back in her seat and stretches her legs out. “I heard the driver say it’s about thirty minutes to the hotel, so I’m going to get a cat nap while I can.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “Night, Beau.” My name is a sigh, and I want her to say my name like that again, only I want to be inside of her when she does.

  “Night, Landry.” Closing my eyes, I force all thoughts of Landry out of my head. I’m falling for her.

  God help me.

  ***

  Landry

  I rub my eyes and sit up just as the driver opens our doors. He helps me out, and I wait for Beau and Mia at the entrance to an ultra-swanky hotel.

  The steps are marble with a perfect aisle of dark red carpet trimmed in gold. It reminds me of something a movie star would walk down.

  “Follow me, please,” a porter says as Beau and Mia join me.

  A quick walk through an ornate lobby and we arrive in front of a row of gilded elevators. They reflect the richness of the room, the furniture, and the people in it.

  “Wow,” I breathe.

  “Exactly,” Beau says, and I glance at him. He grins. “My first time, too. Remember?”

  “Yes,” I say, suddenly shy. We’re sharing this moment together. I fight the urge to reach for his hand and hold it in mine.

  “We’re just staying here for this week, until the apartment is ready,” he explains as we walk. “Or this might be where my apartment is. Honestly, I can’t think straight right now.”

  He switches Mia’s car seat to his other hand, a welcome barrier between us.

  I exhale and walk inside the elevators as soon as the doors open. I have a feeling that we’ll need barriers between us for our entire stay, and not because he’ll break his word.

  But because I’m afraid I’ll beg him to touch me.

  Thankfully, we arrive at our room without incidence, and twenty minutes later, Beau’s laying Mia in a crib.

  Plunking my purse down, I crash in her room, in a king-sized bed.

  My eyes have barely fluttered close when fingers ghost over my cheek. “You’re in my bed.”

  Groaning a little, I force my eyes open. “Sorry. I thought you wanted me in here with Mia.”

  Beau leans over the bed, bracing a hand on either side of me. I can’t stop staring at his mouth, or wishing he would kiss me. I shut my eyes tight.

  “Landry,” he says softly, capturing my attention. “Let’s get you to your room.”

  “I can’t move,” I groan, struggling to get into a sitting position. “My body feels like someone’s sitting on it.” Tears prick at the back of my eyes as I rub them. We’ve been up for nearly thirty hours straight. I’ve never been this tired in my life. “I’m the worst nanny ever. I can’t even take a little crying.”

  “That wasn’t a little crying. That was a pissed off baby,” he mutters.

  I lurch toward the end of the bed. “I’ll be better tomorrow,” I promise.

  Beau suddenly pushes me back down. “Scoot over. I’m too damn tired and so are you to go anywhere else.”

  My eyes are already closing even as I roll onto my side. I feel his body press into mine. I make a contented sound, almost like a purr.

  “Bad idea, Montgomery,” I hear him murmur into my hair.

  “S’okay, Beau. I want you here with me.” I pat the bed, searching for his body and hit his leg a couple of times. “Stay. Sleep. Friends sleep together with clothes on.”

  “
Yes, ma’am,” he whispers into my ear.

  The last thing I remember is his arm snaking around my body and pulling me closer.

  Chapter Twenty

  Beau

  The three of us sleep for almost twelve hours straight. I missed yesterday’s practice, but I don’t really care right now.

  Landry turns in her sleep, her pert little ass wriggling against my groin as she settles against me. I stifle a groan.

  I would have gotten up twenty minutes ago, but I didn’t want to give up the feel of her in my arms. I still don’t want to.

  While we slept, we’d gotten all tangled up in the other, and I’d awoke to her nose buried in my neck. Our legs were threaded through one another’s and her hand was on my right ass cheek by the time I woke up.

  What man in their right mind would leave that?

  I glance at Mia’s crib. Her hands are waving in the air for a minute, before she sits up. Her strawberry blond hair sticks out all over the place. The minute I catch her eye, she grins and starts reaching for me.

  Careful not to wake Landry, I leave the bed and head straight to Mia. “Good morning, sunshine. Let’s go get you changed and dressed, and feed that tummy.”

  Mia gets all excited. I’m not sure what to do first, so I make a bottle and let her drink it while I get her out of her dirty clothes.

  “Need some help?”

  I smile at Landry, taking in her tousled hair and rumpled clothing. She looks sexy as hell, but friends, despite sleeping together with their clothes on, don’t say shit like that. “If you’d run her a bath, that would be great.”

  “On it, boss,” Landry yawns.

  Obviously, I got out of bed at just the right time, because she doesn’t seem embarrassed about it at all. A good thing, but a little of that was the best night’s sleep ever wouldn’t have hurt my ego at all.

  “Beau,” Landry calls out. “Do you want me to put her toys in the bath?”

  “Up to you.” I make a face at Mia, and she smiles around the bottle. “Feeling better, huh?” Dipping my head, I blow raspberries on her fat little tummy, and she giggles. “Love hearing that sound.”

  The bottle goes crashing to the floor, completely drained. I lift Mia up and she burps, milk breath wafting over me. “Nice one.”

  Landry walks back into the room. “Bath’s ready. Do you want me to bathe her?”

  “Nah, I can do it.”

  Landry tilts her head. “I know how to wash a baby.”

  “You don’t know how to wash my baby,” I say with a grin, scooping Mia up and heading to the bathroom. I know Landry gave Mia a bath the other night, but I have to tease her anyway. “How dare she group you in with all the other babies? You’re my sweet girl.”

  “Oh good grief,” Landry mutters from behind me, but there’s a smile in her voice. “Is there anything else I can do to help?”

  “No.”

  She eyes the shower, longing appearing on her face. It’s on the other side of the room. Privacy glass surrounds it on two sides while a stack of wavy glass blocks partition it off from the rest of the room.

  “Go on. I won’t look.” I check the water before sitting Mia in the middle of the tub. She grabs a rubber hippo and squeezes. Water flies out and hits me in the eye. I wince, swiping off the water. “Thanks for giving her bath toys.”

  Landry laughs. “Sorry, but you said it was up to me.” She stands there, shifting from side to side. “You really wouldn’t mind if I took a shower while you’re in here? I tried the door to the connecting room but it won’t unlock.”

  “My nose would appreciate it.”

  Landry playfully punches me in the shoulder. “You’re not exactly smelling like roses either.”

  “I never smell like roses.”

  “Of course not,” Landry huffs. “I’ll go get my stuff.”

  I scoop some water up with my hand and pour it over Mia’s head, careful to keep it out of her eyes. I had lied. Landry smelled damn good, the lingering scent of her perfume making me want to follow her. In fact, I bet that my shirt and sheets smell like her.

  I frown.

  Mia babbles, handing me a rubber dinosaur. I take it and she grins, batting her eyes. The little flirt.

  I grunt and shake the toy at her. “Baby shampoo is the only thing you’re allowed to smell like, until you’re at least thirty.”

  “That’s what you think,” Landry calls out as she walks behind me.

  “Don’t listen to her sassy mouth, Mia. Girls like her are trouble.” Though Landry is the furthest thing from trouble there is, at least when it comes to my daughter.

  “Ha! My dad still reminds me of the time I promised to never leave him for a stinky boy.” Out of the corner of my eye, I watch her step inside the shower and begin taking off her clothes. My tongue glues itself to the top of my mouth when her bare shoulders come into view. Then the water starts to run and she steps under it, running her hands through her hair and groaning.

  “This feels so good,” Landry moans, and my body surges.

  I shift to one side and focus on Mia. There’s no way I’m going to get turned on by this little show while I’m giving my daughter a bath. “You ready to get out?” I ask Mia.

  She blows a raspberry at me and splashes around. I can’t take her out yet, not when she’s like this—so happy and playful. So I sit there, growing more uncomfortable by the minute while Mia plays and Landry showers.

  The scent of her shampoo fills the room, and my skin starts to feel too tight. “That’s it. Bath time’s over.” I grab a towel off a warming rack and get Mia out. By the time I dry her off, dress her, and order some breakfast, Landry walks out.

  Her hair is still wet, her face is free of makeup, and she’s wearing a long sundress with tiny straps holding it up. Never have I seen a woman more gorgeous.

  “I’ll take over so you can get a shower.” She takes her wet hair, pulling it up into a bun and securing it. “I can call room service.”

  “Already took care of it.”

  Landry beams at me, like I’ve already won the race and not just ordered food. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  We stand there, with my daughter between us, staring at each other. Before I lose my mind or kiss Landry senseless, I grab my phone and pull up my schedule.

  “Your phone is the same one as mine, so let’s synch our calendars.”

  “Sounds like a great idea.” She walks to the bed, bending over to get her phone. The material of her dress pulls tight, giving me an amazing view of her plump ass. “I’ll try to keep Mia up until bedtime so she can get used to the time change. So, you go do what you need to do and not worry about a thing.”

  As she walks back to me, I feel a goofy ass grin appear on my face.

  She wrinkles her nose while I mess with our phones. “What?”

  I give her back her phone and toss mine on the bed. “You.”

  “Me?” Her brows draw together.

  I take a step closer, my hands hovering near her hips until I shove them in my pockets. “Yeah. I really appreciate how quickly you’ve stepped into the role of Mia’s nanny. It will be a really big help to me. I can’t remember the last time I had help like this.”

  “It’s my job, Beau,” she reminds me.

  Shit. “Yeah it is. Good.” I step to the side, searching for my luggage. “I’ll get that shower now. Tip the guy for me, will you? They’ll charge it to my room.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Landry

  Beau strides into the bathroom like he’s being chased. A true statement since I obviously chased him off with my stupid reply to his compliment.

  I sink to the floor where Mia is playing on a big blanket. She’s on her back, staring up at the crystal chandelier that casts rainbows all over the place. Looking out into the harbor, I see gently sloping mountains, massive cruise ships, and ginormous private yachts floating on top of water the color of aquamarines.

  The room is nothing to sneeze at eith
er with marble floors, plush seating areas, and a bed so comfy that I felt like a princess sleeping in there. The room even came with a prince.

  Too bad I told him I only wanted to be friends.

  I lie back on the floor, beside Mia, and stare up at the ceiling. It’s made of some kind of rock that’s been polished so much our reflections stared down at us.

  I’m pretty sure mine is ordering me to enjoy paradise and quit being such a doofus. And to quit listening to Meagan’s gossip and his ex-girlfriend. Though to be fair, I know Meagan is only looking out for me. The ex—not so much.

  While Beau... Beau is trying to be nice and friendly, while I did my best to be weird and awkward. All because I’d taken a shower with him in the same room. I could have waited, but the thought of being clean and washing off the airplane funk had been too tempting for me.

  I hold up my phone and study Beau’s calendar. “Practice, press event, party... after party. More practice. More press events. More parties.” I look at Mia. “Your daddy is going to be bus-y, sweet pea. Looks like it’ll be just you and me. How do you feel about long walks on the beach at sunset?” An odd pang hits my chest. I could have had long walks with him and Mia.

  “Dadadada,” she says, then stuffs a bunny into her mouth.

  There’s a knock at the door and I get up to answer it. On the other side is handsome guy, who looks to be about my age. He has black hair, light blue eyes, and a great smile.

  “Hi,” I say, stepping to the side to let him in with the tray. “You don’t know how happy I am to see you.”

  “See me?” He gives me a quizzical grin.

  I blush a little at his question and British accent. His name badge reads Henry. “The food. I’m excited about food.”

  He pushes the cart to the middle of the room and waits. “Where shall I set up?”

  I glance around the room, spotting a table and chairs on the balcony. “There. The weather’s perfect.”

  “It’s always perfect for a beautiful woman like you,” he says with a wink.

  Flustered at the compliment, I pick at my dress. I know he’s being nice to make sure he gets a good tip, but it still makes me feel a little funny. “Thank you.” I pick up Mia and settle her on my hip, following Henry.